My love for the Oakland Zoo can be understood only in context of a comparison with the San Francisco Zoo. The San Francisco Zoo is much larger…some might say sprawling, or overwhelming. The San Francisco Zoo is much more popular…some might say crowded. The San Francisco Zoo is older…which means that some of the habitats are small, depressing, sculpted concrete exhibits.
In comparison, the Oakland Zoo is a smaller, better composed zoo, nestled in the Oakland Hills. The grounds are impeccably maintained. The zoo is remarkably uncrowded, even on weekends. And, most importantly to me, the animal habitats are just fantastic. They are lushly planted, spacious, and seem to blend into one another. The animals seem calm and happy. The Oakland Zoo has fewer exhibits, but the exhibits are interspersed with activities for kids – sculptures to climb on, slides to go down, small playgrounds, and open grassy areas to run around.
Another great aspect of the Oakland Zoo is that the exhibits are designed with children in mind. Kids and toddlers can get very close to the animals – no hoisting your kids up on your shoulders to see required. My oldest toddler enjoyed being up close and personal with an alligator.
Although there are lions, a tiger, elephants, giraffes, and a few other zoo greatest hits, I would say that the real strength of the Oakland Zoo is its presentations of smaller, more unusual animals in well designed habitats. Don’t miss the fruit bats, the tortoise house, or the adorable river otters!
One area in which the San Francisco Zoo is superior is the petting zoo area – the Oakland Zoo has fewer animals for children to chase (er, I mean, pet). However, the Oakland Zoo has multiple student interns supervising the petting zoo area, which keeps the chaos level to a minimum. The San Francisco Zoo has more of the petting zoo mosh pit approach.
Finally, the Oakland Zoo is a bit pricey for a family activity, with a $6.00 fee for parking, $11.00 fee for adults, and a $7.50 fee for children over 2. We found that purchasing a membership made the most sense for more than one zoo trip.
Free Admission for Kids to SF Zoo in January // Jan 24, 2010 at 10:44 pm
[...] know Aletheia expressed her preference for the Oakland Zoo in her previous blog post, but I still prefer the San Francisco Zoo. Sure, I’ve never actually visited the Oakland [...]